NDC's National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, successfully defended his assertion that former President John Dramani Mahama established a pension fund for cocoa farmers.

This came during a discussion on Accra's Asempa FM when he was challenged by presidential staffer Dennis Miracles Aboagye, who initially disputed Sammy's claim. The debate revolved around the recent cocoa price increase announced by the government.

“If Sammy Gyamfi prove where John Dramani Mahama in an Auditor-General’s report left money for cocoa pensions, I am challenging him that I will buy airtime for us to stay in this studio till he provides the evidence to that effect.

“If he doesn’t provide the year the 25 million dollars was made available, I am willing to pay for the airtime when your show is over, for us to remain here till he does so,” he stated on the September 12 edition of the Ekosii Sen programme.

Even after he offered to buy airtime, the programme ended.

Following this, Sammy Gyamfi presented evidence in a social media post, referencing the 2020 Auditor-General's report, which earmarked the mentioned amount.

According to reports, the report confirmed the availability of the funds as of 2016.

Excerpts from the report read: "1246. In contrast to the aforementioned section, we observed the following;"

i. The Board did not establish a contributory insurance scheme for cocoa, coffee and shea nuts farmers since the law came into force over 38 years ago.

ii. The Board of Directors did not provide any regulation as evidence to give full implementation of the Social Security Scheme for the farmers.

1247. Our further review of the Account ledgers disclosed that, the Board has set aside from profit a total of GH¢28,898,676.88 in prior periods to meet the requirement of section 26 of the PNDCL 265 however, Management has not invested the amount in any Trust. A seven (7) years analysis of the funds set aside is detailed in table 132.

When asked how much it was, COCOBOD CEO Joseph Boahen Aidoo responded that the book entry used to create the entry in question was made in 2011, when John Mahama was a vice president.

He explained: "it is one thing to create a ledger with the view to put money in it and another thing to create a fund. If I heard Miracles very well, he meant there is no fund, and truly, there is no fund.

He continued by saying that despite the announcement, the current plan to set aside 74 million cedis into a fund does not immediately make that sum available.

“There is no money in the cocoa farmers’ pension trust created by Mahama and the NDC for farmers’ pension. In which account did Mahama pay the seed capital of GHC28m for the farmers’ pension into? NDC should show us and when?”